Semisoft Cheeses

Bel Paese and fontina from Italy, Port Salut from France, and American muenster and brick cheeses are the best known of a large group of cheeses that range from bland and buttery when young to more earthy and full-flavored when older. They are often used as dessert cheeses and as hors d’oeuvres.

France produces many washed-rind soft cheeses with orange rinds and with flavors that range from mild to pungent. Among the better-known ones are Pont l’Évêque and Livarot from Normandy and Munster from Alsace. (These cheeses might also be categorized as soft-ripened cheeses, below, although they may not become as soft and runny as the washed-rind cheeses discussed in the next section.)